SAS Borderless On-board Communication

25th Nov 2002

Scandinavian Airlines has signed a letter of intent with Connexion by Boeing to install broadband services on board its entire long-haul fleet. According to the agreement, SAS will, in 2004, be one of the first airlines in the world to offer this service.

“The Nordic region is one of the world’s most highly developed IT areas. This means that being able to communicate easily while in the air ranks high among passengers’ requests,” explains Jens Willumsen, who is responsible for Marketing & Product Management at Scandinavian Airlines. “Many customers want to be able to work on board and that involves being in two-way contact with the rest of the world. A solution now exists that will be able to meet these expectations.”

SAS passengers will be able to connect their PCs and PDAs and use the Internet on-line while aboard. Those who are able to log onto their companies’ intranets and send and receive e-mail with attachments will also be able to do this in the air.

“SAS is making long-term efforts to provide freedom of choice for customers,” says Jens Willumsen. “Travel should be easy and today we offer services such as ticketless travel, automated devices for booking and check-in, and seat selection via www.scandinavian.net. Passengers should be able to manage their travel arrangements via the Internet whether at home, in their offices, at airports and hotels, or onboard.”

“SAS has consistently led the market in introducing passenger-focused, value-added services,” said Scott Carson, President at Connexion by Boeing. “With this agreement, SAS, which serves a highly IT mature part of the world, has once again proven its commitment to offering leading-edge mobile communications.”

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SAS is one of the airlines to have specified requirements for Connexion by Boeing’s broadband product. The goal has been for customers to be able to work efficiently aboard. Information security is ensured using the same technology as on the ground. The new system is designed not to interfere with other technology on board the aircraft and this will be certified by the Scandinavian authorities.